Going meatless

November 27, 2013Letters to the Editor

While President Obama is pardoning two turkeys for Thanksgiving, every one of us can exercise that same presidential power by choosing a nonviolent Thanksgiving observance.

Why? To show our compassion for an innocent animal and our concern for our family’s health. It’s a most fitting way to give thanks for our own life, health and happiness.

The 290 million turkeys killed in the U.S. each year breathe toxic fumes in crowded sheds. Their beaks and claws are severed.

At the slaughterhouse, workers cut their throats and dump them into boiling water, sometimes while still conscious.

Consumers also pay a heavy price, even if not at the checkout. Turkey flesh is laced with cholesterol and saturated fats that elevate the risk of chronic killer diseases.

This Thanksgiving, I won’t be calling the Poultry Hot Line or wondering how that turkey lived and died. Our Thanksgiving dinner will most likely include a “tofurky,” lentil roast, mashed potatoes, corn stuffing, stuffed squash, chestnut soup, candied yams, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, carrot cake, and possibly some soy, rice, or coconut dairy-free ice cream. An internet search on vegan Thanksgiving and a visit to my local supermarket will provide me more recipes and delicious turkey alternatives than I can possibly use.